Producer: Virgin Games, 48K
£5.95
Author: John Hunt

Lost is a graphics survival adventure. You are lost in a forest clearing, surrounded by mountains with only 5 days supply of food. There are animals and snakes which pop up now and again and may be killed if you're quick enough off the mark - or they may get you. A complex list of graphic symbols at the start tells you what you are seeing, fruit trees, caves, water, settlements etc. You can move 4 characters at a time, but this allowance decreases over poor terrain. Weather plays an important role and between each move the weather forecast is displayed. This is built up so slowly it renders the game almost unplayable after a few minutes. Colour, graphics and sound are all quite well though out, but in the end it becomes more baffling than enjoyable. Keyboard response is poor, no joystick option general rating: average. CRASH overall 57%. BASIC.

Producer: Virgin Games, 48K
£5.95
Author: John Hunt

Lost is a graphics survival adventure. You are lost in a forest clearing, surrounded by mountains with only 5 days supply of food. There are animals and snakes which pop up now and again and may be killed if you're quick enough off the mark - or they may get you. A complex list of graphic symbols at the start tells you what you are seeing, fruit trees, caves, water, settlements etc. You can move 4 characters at a time, but this allowance decreases over poor terrain. Weather plays an important role and between each move the weather forecast is displayed. This is built up so slowly it renders the game almost unplayable after a few minutes. Colour, graphics and sound are all quite well though out, but in the end it becomes more baffling than enjoyable. Keyboard response is poor, no joystick option general rating: average. CRASH overall 57%. BASIC.

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K
JOYSTICK: No
CATEGORY: Strategy
SUPPLIER: Virgin Games
PRICE: £5.95

After the colourful loading screen, the first thing you notice on loading Lost is the redefined 'computer-style' character set, complete with the obligatory spelling mistake.

You have a choice of five levels, and must decide between playing the easy version and the main game. Do this and a map appears, showing your position in a clearing surrounded by forest. Needless to say, you're lost, and with food and water for only five days, you must set off in search of a settlement and rescue.

You may add to your stock of food and water by drinking from the rivers, by storing any of the local fauna that you can get near, or by using a club to convert any passing snake into calories.

It'll snow soon, so it's as well to find a cave in which to shelter until the blizzard passes. You'll die of exposure otherwise.

The screen shows a map of your movements, and you control these via the cursor keys.

'Average' is the word that springs to mind with this offering it's competently done but just not exciting. Virgin neglects to mention that the CODE instruction is needed for loading - why not include a short Basic loader?